Sewing machine zipper guide



Oct. 10 1961 GARY 3,003,444:

SEWING MACHINE ZIPPER GUIDE Filed June 10, 1959 F27 5? 56 INVENTOR.

v. I BY SEWING MACHILNE ZIPPER GUIDE Lonnie M. Gary, Cleveland, Ohio,assignor to Jack Fromm, Shaker Heights, Ohio, as trustee Filed June 10,195?, Ser. No. 819,481 3 Claims. (til. 112-235) This invention relatesto a sewing machine attachment for applying metal slide fasteners togarments, and more particularly to a mechanism for guiding the slidefastener into proper operative sewing position with respect to thesewing machine needle when the fastener is being applied to the garment.

Heretofore, considerable difi'iculty has been experienced in sewing thetooth supporting cloth of metal slide fasteners or zippers onto garmentswith the seams or stitches at opposite sides of the row of teethparallel to each other and with the tooth supporting cloth unstressedand unwrinkled.

Prior mechanism for holding such zippers in sewing position usuallyconsist of a conventional hold-down shoe or presser foot which holds thezipper cloth and the garment cloth against a conventional advancingmechanism of a sewing machine, a guide being spaced laterally of thepresser foot bar to engage the outermost edge of the tooth supportingcloth strips and thereby guide the zipper cloth strips into propersewing position with respect to the needle. However, since the garmentand zipper cloth cloth strips are extremely flexible, this type of guideoperates very inaccurately and ineifectively.

An object of the present invention is to provide a slide fastener guidefor sewing machines which accurately and consistently guides the zipperor slide fastener in a straight lineal sewing path past thereciprocating sewing machine needle under all operating conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slide fastener orzipper guide for sewing machines having a Zipper guide channel throughwhich the interlocked row of zipper teeth passes during sewing and whichis so arranged that its side walls engage the opposite edges of the rowof teeth and guide the zipper by the teeth, leaving the tooth-holdingcloth strips free at their outer margins.

Another object is to provide a guide in which the guide channel iselongated endwise to the sewing path, and extends a substantial distancealong the path of feed forwardly, or both forwardly and rearwardly, ofthe reciprocating sewing machine needle so as to cause the two toothsupporting strips of cloth of the zipper to be positioned properly inadvance of the sewing position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slide fastener orzipper guide for sewing machines wherein the guide channel on the zipperguide is adjustable laterally with respect to the reciprocating sewingmachine needle so that a single guide can be used with a single needlemachine for sewing both tooth supporting strips in position,selectively.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine zipperguide having a guide channel adapted to guide the interlocked row ofzipper teeth in a lineal path past the reciprocating machine needle byguidingly contacting the outer exposed edges of the interlocked teeththemselves, such channel having a height greater than that of theinterlocked teeth.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine zipperguide that is simple to operate, inexpensive to manufacture, and verydependable in operation.

Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by the provision of asewing machine zipper guide detachably secured to the pressure footmounting post of the sewing machine and having a longitudinal guidechannel formed in its underside which is adapted to accurately guide therow of interlocked teeth of the zipper past the reciprocat- PatentedOct. 10, 1961 ing needle in a lineal path. The channel is formed toguide the interlocked row of teeth by slidably contacting the outerexposed edges only of the teeth, such channel having a height greaterthan that of the teeth. The channel extends a substantial distanceforwardly and rearwardly of the needle. Additionally, the zipper guideis adjustable laterally with respect to the needle such that that guidechannel may be positioned laterally from the needle any suitabledistance, as required. With this construction, a zipper guide isprovided that will accurately guide the interlocked zipper past thereciprocating needle in a straight lineal sewing path under alloperating conditions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional sewing machineneedle and associated presser foot-bar and showing a zipper guideassembly of the invention secured to the bar and positioned against thesewing machine base late: p FIG. 2 is a left end elevation of the viewshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the zipper guide assemblyshown in FIG. 1 and showing the relative position of the parts prior totheir assembly on the presser foot bar;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the guide member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a left end elevational view of the guide member shown in FIG.3;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket shown in FIG.3;

FIG. 7 is a left end elevational view of the mounting bracket shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged broken view of a portion of the guide member shownin FIG. 2 and showing the interlocked teeth of a zipper operativelydisposed in the guide channel, with a garment, to which the Zipper isto' be attached, disposed below the zipper.

Although the invention is shown and described herein with reference toguiding an interlocked zipper in a lineal sewing path past a sewingmachine needle, it may be used for guiding any longitudinal, flexible orsemi-flexible object in a straight path past a given point.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown one form of a slide fasteneror zipper guide apparatus in the form of a guide mechanism or assembly Aconstructed in accordance with the invention and detachably secured tothe presser foot post or bar 10 of a sewing machine. The guide assemblyA, in the present instance, includes a mounting bracket portion 12 and acoacting guide member 14 which is adjustably secured to the bracket .12in a manner to be described.

The guide member 14 comprises a main body portion 16 having an elongatedguide portion 18 extending-in one direction from the body portion atsubstantially a right angle, as shown. Formed in the underside 20 of theguide portion 18 is an elongated, lineal, zipper-receiving channel 22which extends the entire length of the guide portion.

In the present instance, the channel 22 is rectangularly configured intransverse section for receiving the upper exposed portion of a row ofinterlocked teeth of a conventional slide fastener or zipperlongitudinally along the channel. The transverse width of the channel issufficient to guide the interlocked zipper teeth longitudinally throughthe channel with ample operating clearance. Additionally, the height ofthe channel is greater than able guide members may be provided havingcorrespond-:

ing size channels for receiving such zippers.

Needle receiving apertures 24 and 25 are formed in each side of theguide portion 18 adjacent the channel 22. With this construction, theguide assembly A may be adapted for receiving the two needles of adual-needle sewing machine. In the single needle machine shown, eitherof the apertures 24 and 25 may receive the vertically reciprocatingneedle 26 mounted in the needle bar 27, since the guide member 14 isadjustable laterally with respect to the needle 25 as will behereinafter described.

The body portion 16 of the guide member 14 projects upwardly from theguide portion 18 and terminates in a fiat rectangular ledge or shelf 30formed transversely of the member 14. A threaded aperture 32 is disposedsubstantially centrally in the ledge 30. v

The bracket portion 12 includes an L-shaped guide shelf-receivingportion 35 having a U-shaped bracket member 36 secured forwardlythereto, as shown. The underside of the portion 35 is formed into alongitudinal channel 37 which is substantially L-shaped in transversesection and is configured to adjustably receive the shelf 30 of theguide 14 in coacting sliding relation. The ridge 33 on the bracket 12slidably contacts the projection 34 on the member 14 to provide asteady, sliding coaction between the bracket 12 and the member 14. Aslot 38 is formed in the top side 39 of the portion 35 for receiving thethreaded portion of the lock bolt 40 therethrough, such bolt thencebeing threaded into the aperture 32 when the bracket portion 12 ismounted on the guide member 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the

diameter of the head of the bolt being greater than the width of theslot. With this construction, adjusting means are provided whereby theguide member 14 is adjustable laterally with respect to the bracket 12and may be locked in any of such lateral positions by tight ening thebolt 40.

The bracket member 36 includes a mounting means for the bar in the formof a slot 42 configured to receive the lower end portion 44 of thepressure foot bar 10 in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The bar 10 issecurely retained in such position in the slot 42 by means of the lockbolt 46, which passes through the slot 48 in the bracket member 36 andthence is threaded into the threaded aperture 49 in the end portion 44of the bar, the diameter of the bolt head being greater than the widthof the slot 48.

Operation of the guide assembly A in guiding a zipper in sewing positionis shown in FIG. 9 wherein the zipper teeth 52 and 54 are operativelydisposed in the zipper channel 22, with the zipper teeth supportingcloth strips 56 and the garment cloth 58 being interposed between theguide member 14 and the sewing machine base plate 60. It is to be notedthat the channel 22 has a transverse width sufficient to guide theinterlocked teeth 52 and 54 snugly, yet with ample operating clearance.Additionally, the height of the channel is greater than the height ofthe interlocked teeth. The channel guides the slide fastener bycontacting the exposed outer edge only of the interlocked zipper teeth,leaving the tooth supporting strips free so they can adjust themselvesto the line of the teeth. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide channel 22extends a substantial distance 'forwardly, and preferably both forwardlyand rearwardly of the reciprocating needle 26 along the sewing path. InFIG. 1, the sewing path is from left to right past the needle.

With this construction, a zipper guide is provided that very effectivelyguides the zipper past the needle in a lineal sewing path under alloperating conditions.

By shifting the zipper guide of the, invention laterally, both teethsupporting strips of the zipper can be sewed accurately and successivelywith a single needle machine with assurance that they will be properlyfastened in unstressed and unwrinkled condition at uniform distanceoutwardly from the row of teeth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A slide fastener guide apparatus for guiding slide fasteners, whichhave interlocking rows of teeth with each row secured on flexible stripsof material, respectively, so that the strips can be sewed in place witha sewing machine having a pressure foot post and an adjacentverticallyreciprocating needle, and comprising, a mounting bracket, means fordetachably securing the bracket to the pressure foot mounting post, aguide member, supporting means for adjustably supporting the guidemember on the bracket for selective positioning thereof relative to theneedle in a direction transversely of the sewing path, said guide memberhaving a longitudinal downwardly open guide channel formed in itsunderside and disposed parallel to the sewing path, when the guidemember is mounted on the bracket, for receiving with operating clearancethe interlocked row of teeth and for guiding the interlocked row ofteeth endwise of the row in the sewing path which extends forwardly andrearwardly relative to the needle, said channel extending a substantialdistance forwardly and rearwardly of the needle when the mechanism isconnected to the bracket, said channel being configured in transversesection for engaging with operating clearance those end surfaces of theinterlocked teeth which face outwardly laterally of the interconnectedrows at the 1 lateral limits of the rows, respectively, thereby toconstrain movement of the rows of teeth to the lineal sewing path from apoint substantially in advance of the needle to a point substantially tothe rear of the needle in the sewing direction, said guide member havingundersurfaces for engaging the flexible strips of material adjacent thelateral limits of the rows of interlocked teeth both forwardly andrearwardly of the needle, said guide member having needle receivingpassages at and adjacent opposite sides of said channel, said passagesbeing spaced a substantial distance from both ends of the channel andbeing positioned for alignment with the needle, selectively, by movementof the supporting means to different adjusted positions, and means forsecuring the supporting means in the adjusted positions, selectively.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said channel has a heightgreater than the height of the interlocked teeth.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the width of the guidemember forwardly from said passages is less than its width rearwardlytherefrom so that the strips are visible at opposite sides of the memberat a location closely adjacent the outer ends of the teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,637,804 Brooks Aug. 2, 1927 2,151,346 Devoe Mar. 21, 1939 2,868,153Gordon Jan. 13, 1959 2,909,136 Dixon et a1. Oct. 20, 1959 all, u

